| Vol 8, No 340 | December 6, 1865 | Wednesday Evening |
(1988)
On this date in 1988, rock and roll superstar, Roy Orbison died at Hendersonville, Tennessee. Elvis Presley once referred to Roy as "The Greatest Singer in the World". Roy's smash hits include "Only the Lonely", "Running Scared", "Blue Bayou", "It's Over", and "Oh Pretty Woman".
(1949)
American Blues Legend and Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer, Huddy "Leadbelly" Ledbetter died on this date in 1949. He was "lead boy" (guide) for Blind Lemon Jefferson in Dallas where his temper landed him in Jail. John and Alan Lomax got him released, and toured with him for a time. He co-wrote with Alan Lomax "The Midnight Special" (a 1965 hit by Johnny Rivers) and "Goodnight Irene" Lead Belly also wrote "The Rock Island Line" and "Cotton Fields" which hit No.13 in 1961 by the Highwaymen.
(1865)
On this date in 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. At the height of the Civil War, President Lincoln, acting under his war powers, declared the slaves in any state still at war with the Union to be now and forever free. This was the Emancipation Proclamation, but enforcement meant having the Union Army enter an area and free the slaves from their masters. But the proclamation did not have the weight of changing the law of the land. That would require amending the Constitution. On this date in 1865, the 13th Amendment was officially ratified by the states, and slavery was forever banned in the United States. "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." No longer would former slaves have to fear a return to slavery. Freedom would no longer be a privilege of race, but the right of all people.
(1955)
On this date in, KWTX television in Waco, began the broadcast of the murder trial of Henry Washburn. Washburn would eventually be found guilty of killing his former mother-in-law.
(1835)
In an early morning attack on this date in 1835, Mexican forces, led by General Cos hiding on rooftops, open fire on the city. The shooting continues throughout the day. As the attack continues into the following day, Ben Milam is killed.
